What is Sammiana?

The Macedonian Endless Trail (artistic name – Sammiana) is a mega, circular traverse – a continuous hiking – mountain trail, which goes across the largest part of Macedonia’s territory, directly passing by or in close proximity to a plethora of natural beauties, historical sites and other landmarks.

Albeit the western wing has not been fully finished yet, it is now acknowledged that the entire trail is circa 2,070 km in length. For the sake of heightened enjoyment, the route aspires to the wilderness, i.e. far away from civilization. It crosses via or typically at the foot of all the more well-known and numerous lesser known mountain peaks, which allows for swift climbing of any of the latter by opting for the additional side trails, which lends an additional challenge to the traverse itself.

Where does “Endless” Come from?

“Endless” has a real meaning.

The trail has a single focal point, from where one can choose to proceed in any of the four different directions. Subsequently, in approximately 40-50 days, one will find themselves again at the identical focal point, so one may continue in another direction or resume the hike along the already travelled portion but in the opposite direction. After two months, the season has already changed, and one may again carryon a long the previously crossed portion of the trail in order to experience an utterly new adventure owing to the fact that the same part now has a totally different appearance. Bearing in mind that one can choose to traverse along an already hiked part of the trail but in the opposite direction, it transpires that one can hike for months i.e. infinitely without feeling of walking along the same route.
Considering the fact that on a map the trail resembles the mathematical symbol of infinity, it is comprehensible that the trail may justifiably be called “endless”.

About the Macedonian Endless Trail

Macedonia is a small country in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, but in view of the fact that 83% of its territory is mountainous relief, it becomes instantaneously obvious that this is a mountainous trail even though a minor portion of the trail spans lower areas, and a very small, insignificant portion passes via rural settlements.

However, the major advantage of Sammiana is the diversity along the route itself; hence, one is not likely to witness identical landscape for more than a single day. A variety of deciduous forests, coniferous forests, alpine landscapes, rocky terrain or meadows, caves, rivers, waterfalls – all of this alternates by the hour, from day to day. The trail passes by many of the highest peaks of the Balkans, but also next to the oldest lake in Europe. In the light of the cultural and historical heritage encountered along and in the vicinity of the trail, it is indubitable that one will never ever abandon Sammiana as a result of being satiated by the invariable landscape that repeats itself for days on end.

Another vital feature is the wilderness. Specifically, the trail crosses outside settlements, and it is the right choice for those seeking to stay at a distance from civilization and to revel in nature. The wilderness is coupled with solitude – the trail is new and currently scarcely hiked. Accompanied by the fact that it isremote from populated areas, the likelihood of coming across other people is very low, in comparison with other trails in Europe.

Sammiana spans entirely on the territory of Macedonia (the official country’s name is the Republic of North Macedonia); consequently, no permits are mandatory for crossing borders. Nonetheless, in certain segments, Sammiana overlaps with other relatively long trails traversing neighboring countries, such as the Via Dinarica and the High Scardus trail, and with a short transfer, one can also switch to other fairly long-distance trails, such as Peaks of the Balkans, Kom – Emine, the European E4 and E6 and others.

Route

The trail is designed to offer real delight to aficionados of this type of sport and recreation. The route aims to circumvent walking on an asphalt road to the furthest extent, and dirt roads are evaded as much as is feasible. Simultaneously, gradients exceeding 15 % are avoided; accordingly, very often the path uses switchbacks instead of heading straight for the mountain peaks. The objective is to make the trail more appropriate for long distance hiking , with a backpack loaded accordingly.

The route tracked by GPS records is distinguished by very high accuracy, and it has been tested and verified multiple times. Concurrently, the GPS records comprise all the essential information about the trail and the surrounding area, so that the trail could be utilized without difficulty for multi-day tours or overall multi-month hiking trips.